


Shattered Silence

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-02-03
Updated: 2002-02-03
Packaged: 2019-05-30 21:56:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15105650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: Donna hears about the shooting over the news.





	Shattered Silence

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

"Shattered Silence"   
by Sarah 

  
Donna Moss entered her apartment and tossed her keys on the coffee table. She   
collapsed, exhausted, on the couch and searched for the remote control. It had been her   
first afternoon off in a long time, and she had spent the last part of it jogging along the   
Potomac, an activity she had been promising herself for a while. 

Donna found the remote control wedged in behind one of the   
couch cushions, and flipped on the TV. She mustered the last of her energy to stand and   
go into the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water.   
*Josh will be calling any minute now* she thought.   
Josh Lyman, the White House Deputy Chief of Staff and Donna's boss,had been at the   
President's Town Hall meeting that evening, and would no doubt be calling her to recount   
the details of the event. 

Walking back to the living room, Donna grabbed the afghan she kept on the back of the   
chair in her hallway and wrapped it around her shoulders, intending to settle in and   
maybe catch a late-night TV movie. As she entered the living room, her intentions   
slipped her mind as she stared at the story unfolding on the screen. 

"Moments ago, shots were fired as the President and his   
entourage were leaving the meeting..." 

The reporter was replaced by a picture of the scene, and Donna no longer heard what was   
being said as she scanned the crowd for Josh...   
******** 

Donna arrived at the crime scene and parked her car on the   
street near the yellow tape blocking off the area. She practically sprinted toward the scene   
of the shooting, where her path was blocked by several FBI agents. 

"Ma'am, I'm sorry, but this is a federal crime scene. No   
one is allowed to enter." 

"But I'm- I work for- Oh, God!" Donna couldn't find the   
words, as she saw a body covered with a white sheet on a stretcher being loaded into an   
ambulance. There were several other ambulances, as well as police cars, and nondescript   
cars that Donna recognized as   
CIA fleet sedans. Donna still could not see any of her co-workers, or the president's car.   
The scene was overwhelming. Donna returned to her car and leaned against the door,   
shaking in fear. She tried futilely   
to wipe the tears from her eyes, tears which would not stop flowing.   
*Josh...* was her only thought. 

Suddenly, there was a hand on her shoulder. Donna looked up,and was staring right into   
the eyes of Josh Lyman. His hair was disheveled, and he had several tears in his shirt and   
jacket, but otherwise, he looked okay. 

"I knew I'd find you around here somewhere," Josh said, his   
voice choked with emotion. 

"Josh, I can't believe it...You're okay?" Donna asked. 

"I'm okay...A few civilians were wounded?? was   
killed..." 

"Oh, God. Is the president...and the others?" 

"Everyone's fine. Fortunately. They caught the perpetrators,and...."Josh was cut off as   
Donna wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and sobbed against his shoulder. He   
understood how she felt.   
He was pretty shaken up himself, but tried not to show it outwardly as He had helped to   
deal with the aftermath of the shooting. He returned Donna's embrace, holding her   
trembling form close to him. There were tears in his eyes too, even as he raised her head   
and brushed hers   
away with his thumbs 

"I'm sorry, I-" attempted Donna, embarrassed at having acted so unprofessionally. He   
was, after all, her boss as much as her friend. 

"It's okay. We're okay," replied Josh, pulling her back   
into his arms and resting his chin on the top of her head. They stood there for what   
seemed like an eternity, amidst the chaos surrounding them, clinging to the only thing   
that mattered: each other. 

End  



End file.
